Pidhirtsi Castle: description, legends, history

Mysterious Pidhirtsi castle is located in the village of Pidhirtsi, which is located in Lviv region.This place is 88 kilometers from Lviv and 460 - from Kiev.

Pidhirtsi Castle : history

In 1440 the Polish King Jagiello granted land Boyar Ivan Podgoretskii.The new owner called this area Pidhirtsi.He built the first fortification.

In 1633, construction got at Podgoretsky, and may have received from the crown (the views of historians differ on this issue) Hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski.He appealed to the French architect Guillaume de Boplan with a request to create a project of new fortifications and a two-storey palace.

Construction work was carried out over five years (1635-1640).As planned by the architect premises creating a square courtyard with a terrace, which has been adapted for the defense of the territory.The palace was surrounded on three sides by a deep ditch.In the northern part, which appeared on the plain, it was built a terrace with sculptures and balustrade.The entrance was decorated with a large arch, reminiscent of a portal with two columns.

With the XVII century Pidhirtsi Castle several times subjected to serious destruction during the war.But he was immediately restored.

At the beginning of the XX century, the castle was given to the historical museum of the city of Lviv.However, a little later, it organized a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.

In 1997 the charity fund "Revival Podgoretskii castle", which was led by Boris Woźnicki, initiated the restoration of the masterpiece of ancient architecture.He was again recognized museum and decided to reconstruct.

castle grounds

architectural ensemble Podgoretskii lock up the church, a park, an inn and a castle.The baroque one-storey inn was built for the workers, when it was a hotel and tavern.

Description Castle

Pidhirtsi Castle (Ukraine) - a perfectly preserved Renaissance palace, which is surrounded by fortifications.However, Zolochiv and Olesko castles, they form a "Golden Horseshoe of Ukraine."There were shooting some scenes of the famous Soviet movie "The Three Musketeers."The castle was built in the shape of a square.From the south, east and west it is surrounded by fortifications, ramparts and a deep moat.

The interior

interiors of the palace impresses with its richness and beauty.The halls and rooms called Gold, Knight's, Green, Mirror, Mosaic.Things that belonged to King Jan III Sobieski, stored separately.

rooms were decorated with portraits of the owners of the castle, it was known copies of Rubens, Raphael, Titian and Caravaggio.There were also paintings by famous Polish artist Chekhovich, the work of Jacob de Baan.

In the dining room hung a portrait of the hetman Koniecpolski and 72 portraits of spiritual and political leaders.In the center stood a marble black table.He baptized the King Jan III.Today the castle is closed for renovation.Opening time is not yet known.

Collection

Despite significant losses during the First World War and the Revolution, in 1939 in the collection of the castle, there were 39 shells of winged hussars and 65 hussar peak.All these exhibits belonged to the XVIII century.They belonged to the hussars of the company Hetman Rzhevusskogo.

Church

Catholic church of the Exaltation of St. Joseph was built and commissioned Vatsorva Rzhevusskogo (1752-1766).He was supposed to be a tomb.The architect of this building C. Romanus.

This Catholic church is a magnificent rotunda, made in Baroque style.Its diameter - 12 m. The facade of the rotunda is decorated with a portico, consisting of fourteen Corinthian columns.In the attic were installed eight sculptures of saints, who performed Fessinger and Leblas.One of the sculptures destroyed during the Second World War.From the church

300-meter lime avenue leading to the castle.Before the temple standing on the pillars sculpture of Our Lady and St. Joseph.

Interior painted painter L. Smuglevich son.They were painting takes four craftsmen from Zhovkva: Wojciech, Damian, Constantine and Nicholas - and two artists from Lviv - Vitanetsky and Gurgilevich.Since 1861 the church became parafialnym temple.After World War II (1945), it was closed.The last restoration began in 1976 and lasted three years.Works were supervised by the architect I. Starosolsky.Now the church handed grekokatolikam.

Italian garden

Once Pidhirtsi Castle, the disclosure of which is preserved in the Central Library of Lviv in historical documents, surrounded by one of the best "Italian" gardens in Europe.The park was a lot of stones, which created a sense of remoteness from the outside world and harmony.There was a lot of evergreens - pines, boxwood, laurel.Much attention was paid to colors.There were growing irises, lilies, carnations, violets.Everywhere were green arborvitae, spruce, different varieties of spirea, dogwood, barberry.

from its former magnificence there are not too many - to keep a fairly large garden of apple trees, which pleases magnificent spring flowering and arborvitae.At the edge of the garden and preserved old linden tree.Her age, as scientists say, more than 700 years.

Pidhirtsi castle: the legend

This castle since its inception mystique surrounds.About him go incredible rumors - one worse than the other.The locals love to tell stories with a visiting guests gory details and chilling detail.The most common story of the clever and beautiful wife of Count Jablonski.How to assure the indigenous inhabitants, her soul wanders the corridors and dungeons of the castle in the moonlight.If you're a fan of mysterious stories and legends - you absolutely must visit Pidhirtsi Castle - ghosts certainly will present you a surprise.

Legend of the White Lady

In 1787 Pidhirtsi Castle, together with the villages located in the area, after the death of his father bought his son Severin Rzewuski.This is the name associated with the mysterious and fascinating legend of the castle - a White Lady.

one day to the main entrance of the palace arrived luxurious carriage drawn by six horses.It belonged to a new owner - Severin Rzewuski.

gathered at the gates of all the servants and peasants from neighboring villages who wanted to see a new host.The young count came out of the coach, and if an icy wind engulfed all those present on the look yasnovelmozhnogo Pan.After it came out of the coach of his young wife, Maria.From her kind eyes and gentle smile brighter than the sun shone, people smiled at her.

People are not wrong: the good and merciful proved their lady, she helped the poor and the poor, healed the sick, kind words warmed the soul.Mary loved the white dress, for which it became known as Mrs. White.

A new owner was gloomy and unsociable.Often a long time Count Severin down in damp and dark dungeon, and then gathered guests, and sumptuous feasts developed into a wild hunt.

Soon rumors spread that Count - black sorcerer and magical brews underground drug.In addition, the county began to disappear without trace young girls.Residents have decided - in this guilty pan.Of course, they were directed by fear, because it was known that studying in Vienna, became interested in the Count alchemy, and so that all his thoughts were on how to turn metal into gold.And he planned to invent an elixir of youth and longevity.To do this in the dungeon of the castle he built a laboratory.

years went by, the Earl of things went really bad - get the gold he could not, and for the maintenance of a huge castle needed a lot of money.From the elixir of youth, too, did not work out.Most blackened Earl, his face furrowed wrinkles, his hands dry and yellowed, as if his power sucked experiments in cheese and cold dungeon.

His wife, Mary, like a rejuvenation every year.It's still beautiful.Jealousy tormented Count, as he watched with some admiration staring at her the noble lords as respectfully declined over her delicate hand, trying to get a clear view of her eyes.But not a big love was the cause of his jealousy - was incapable of loving Count.The fact that he was married to Mary because of the huge dowry, which gave her parents.A terrible jealousy tormented his heart.And the mad Earl decided that his wife knows the secret of eternal youth, but she does not want to share with him.

Once, late at night, he ordered its employees to capture Mary and secretly put in a terrible cave.He began to demand to give him the secret of youth, threatening terrible agony.

Countess was surprised - she did not know any secret, just know how to love people, to give them kindness and helping others - that's the whole secret.I do not believe her count, there is no witch's brew.He commanded his minions take Mary into the far corner of the dungeons and walled up alive in a wall.Hearing this, the countess shuddered and cursed the whole race of his tormentor, finally saying: "How many steps separates me from my place of execution, after so many generations of your race be extinguished."Steps were four ... Four generations of Rzewuski died.

Ghostbusters

locals are so confident that it really happened, that they gave their confidence contemporary magicians and sorcerers who dream reveal ancient secrets.

you visited the US "Ghostbusters" and domestic witches of "Battle of the psychics."In 2010, participants in the Russian transfer unanimously claimed that Pidhirtsi Castle (Ukraine) is packed with ghosts, however, each of them talked about their ghost.Some of the wizards agreed that they were able to see a woman in white who roam the corridors of the castle and down to the dungeon.

How to get there?

Surely you are interested in this mysterious Pidhirtsi Castle (Lviv region).It's really picturesque and interesting place.He was especially interested in amateur mysticism.If you are thinking to visit Pidhirtsi Castle, how to reach it, we will prompt you.

can get to the castle of the city of Brody by taxi.If you go by car, you should go on the road Kyiv - Lviv, and it will lead you to this historic site.